Chapter One: Reading

1.1 History of Computers

Exercises
Comprehension questions
1. Why was Pascal honored with a computer language named for him?
• This programming language was named as a tribute to Blaise Pascal,
because of his contribution to computer development. He was the first to
build a precursor of the modern computer-an adding an subtraction machine
that could assist in tedious and time-consuming computational process.
2. Who was the first to invent a machine whose operating principle is very
similar to present-day computers? Describe these similarities.
• Charles Babbage, whose idea was remarkably similar to the way modern
computers work: read program from punched cards (input), figure and store
the answers to different problems, and print the answer on paper (output).
3. In which process was Hollerith’s machine involved and what was its role?
• Hollerith’s machine helped with the counting of census information. It took
three years, instead of seven and half, even with 13 million more people
since the previous census. “The machine read and sorted data from punched
cards. The holes punched in the cards matched each person’s answers to
questions. For example, married, single, and divorced were answers on the
cards. The Tabulator read the punched cards as they passed over tiny
brushes. Each time a brush found a hole, it completed an electrical circuit.
This caused special counting dials to increase the data for that answer.
4. Describe all the technical parameters of the first electric powered computer.
• 50 feet long, 8 feet tall, electrical circuits are opened and closed by
mechanical switches, contained 500 miles of wire and 750 000 parts
5. What were the differences between the Mark I and the ENIAC?
• Mark I - electric powered, 50 feet long and 8 tall, used mechanical switches
to open/close electrical circuits

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 • ENIAC - all electronic computer, used 18,000 vacuum tubes instead of
mechanical switches, 1000 times faster than Mark I, 100 feet long and 10
feet tall
6. What is the main advantage of using binary code in storing data and
instructions?
• First computers like the ENIAC could do only one task, then they had to be
rewired to perform a different task or program. The binary code concept of
storing different programs on punched cards instead of rewiring computers
led to computers that we know today.

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1.2 Iloveyou worm
Exercises
Pre-reading exercises
1. What attacks have you heard about?
2. Have you ever had a virus or worm in mail?
3. Name a few of the most famous viruses.
• Melissa
• Love Bug
• Code Red
• Bugbear
• Blaster

Comprehension questions
1. What kind of attachment was in the ILOVEYOU worm?
• It was a visual basic script.
2. In what language was the ILOVEYOU worm written?
• VBScript programming language
3. When was the ILOVEYOU worm detected?
• 4th May, 2000
4. Who created the Barok trojan?
• Onel de Guzman, a Filipino student
5. What action did the Pentagon take in order to protect itself from the ‘I
Love You’ virus?
• Pentagon had to shut down own e-mail system.

Further exercises
1. Match headings to paragraphs.
2. There are several different variants of emails with this virus in the article.
Write your own variant of email that will encourage people to open the
attachment.

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Possible topics for discussion
1. Why was this virus so dangerous and harmful?
• The worm overwrote important files, as well as music, multimedia and more,
with a copy of itself. It also sent the worm to everyone on a user’s contact list.
2. Why did it attack only Windows Operating Systems?
• Bad security policy, holes in the security mechanism system and a lot of
users oblivious of danger - these factors have added to virus success.
3. What legal consequences should be faced by the authors of computer
viruses?
• high fines
• ban on access to computers
4. What action each computer user can take to protect their computers against
computer worms?
• install anti-virus software
• be careful what e-mail attachment you open, what websites you visit
• check source of software which you install
• check data mediums, before you open them, – especially pen-drives

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1.3 Anatomy of the Linux Kernel
Exercises
Pre-reading exercises
1. What are the most popular operating systems?
• Windows, Linux, Mac OS
2. What are the advantages of Linux?
• GPL license (free to use)
• stability
• security
3. What are the disadvantages of Linux?
• difficult in use
• some software isn’t available in a Linux version

Comprehension questions
1. Name a few of the earliest operating systems.
• GMOS, FMS.
2. Who created MINIX?
• Andrew Tanenbaum
3. How many lines of code does the Linux kernel have now?
• over 6 million
4. What are the advantages of Linux adoption of the GPL?
• protection from commercial exploitation
• benefits from the user-space development
• various shell support
5. Name the three gross levels of the Linux kernel.
• system call interface
• kernel code
• architecture-dependant code (BSP)
6. What are the major components of the Linux kernel?
• System Call Interface
• Process Management
• Memory Management
• Virtual File System
• Network Stack
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• Arch
• Device Drivers
7. Describe in a few words what process management does?
• Process management is focused on the execution of processes. The kernel
provides an application program interface through the SCI to create a new
process, stop a process or communicate and synchronize between them. There is
also a need to share the CPU between the active threads in the process
management.
8. What could you do if you have Linux and you want to run a Windows
program?
• find its Linux equivalent
• virtualize Microsoft Windows
• install Windows as a second system

Possible topics for discussion

1. Which operating system, Windows or Linux, is better and why? What is your
opinion?
2. Which operating system architecture is better: one with a number of distinct
subsystems or one with a single microkernel?
3. Is it better to build small kernels which are easy to understand or large ones
with all the necessary functions?

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1.4 How to Stream Video Over a Network or the Internet

Exercises
Pre-reading questions
1. What do you know about the history of TV and radio?
• The first use of radio took place Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in February
1893. It was the demonstration of wireless telegraph. Transmission of voice was
the invention of the beginning of XX century. Development of TV was divided into
two paths: the mechanical and electrical and purely electrical. The first idea of
construction the TV (electromechanical) was abandoned about 1925.
Demonstration of first color television display was given on August 16, 1944.

2. Do you know the origins of the Internet?

• The first idea of global network of computers was created by J.C.R. Licklider. He
moved to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop it.
The first connection of two computers (by the phone line) took place in 1965. The
first form of the Internet, called ARPANET, was brought online in 1969. In those
time, the first ideas of reliability of connections (nowadays included in many
protocols) was implemented into networks.

3. Which kind of media do you find important and valuable?

• I find the Internet the most important and valuable kind of media. Any
information that can be found in other media (tv or radio) can also be found in the
Internet.

4. Can you explain how connections are made between ‘users’ of radio, TV and the
Internet?
• The radio waves are divided into frequency which enables the receivers to
distinguish the channels. The same way of transferring data in the wireless TV is
used to receive from broadcasting stations. When using cable connected TV
receiver no division of data stream is needed as one channel is received through
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the cable in time. On the Internet every media is shared so protocols (describing
the way the data is transferred) need to provide effective way to avoid collisions of
the packets.

Comprehension questions
1. Can you point out the differences between TV, radio and the Internet in
terms
of communication?
• only broadcast communication (TV, Radio)
• each of nodes can be both sender and recipient ( the Internet)
• information can be reviewed any time (the Internet)
2. Can you explain the process of establishing connections by telephone and
on the Internet?
• Telephone calls use many of the same wires used by the Internet. The
telephone central office maintains devices called switches (automated
versions of the classic telephone switchboard) that are used to connect the call
to the next location. Telephone calls create a two-way circuit all the way from
caller to receiver.
The message “All circuits are busy”—usually heard only during disasters or
radio
call-in concert ticket giveaways—means the switch does not have any more
slots in which to carry this call. The main barriers to telephone transmission
are found at the beginning of the call— if there are not enough circuits to
place
the call. While a call is in progress, the entire route between the caller and
recipient is reserved for their use only, even if there is silence and no one is
talking. Telephones use what is called a circuit-switched connection.
3. What is the idea of “packet communication”?
• The path from a website to a web browser is different than these other
systems. Conceptually, it is similar to the telephone conversation: It’s a two-
way conversation in which the browser asks for a document and the server
sends it. Unlike the telephone call, however, there is no reserved circuit. Data,
in the form of requests and responses, are organized into chunks called

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 packets and sent between the requesting web browser and the web server. In
between the requester and the server are a series of routers. These machines
route traffic between different smaller networks.
Each time a packet crosses the boundary from one ISP (Internet Service
Provider) to another or from one kind of network to another, it goes through a
router. The packets “hop” from router to router like a bucket brigade. This
type of data transmission is called packet switching, instead of circuit
switching. Internet packet switching has some attributes that make it reliable
and unreliable at the same time.
4. Explain, in general terms, how routing works.
• Routing is the process of selecting paths in a network along which to send
data
or physical traffic, usually directs forwarding on the basis of routing tables
which
maintain a record of the routes to various network destinations. Thus,
constructing routing tables, which are held in the routers’ memory, becomes
very important for efficient routing.
5. Give 5 reasons for packet delays.
• a router is too busy and can’t keep up with traffic
• a particular link between sender and receiver becomes saturated
• a link goes down, causing traffic to be rerouted to a different link
• one or more routers in between can’t think fast enough
• a firewall looks at all the packets for viruses
• delay is added due to the use of older technology, such as modems
• other downloads on a pipe cause it to delay
• packets are lost, resulting in resends, and other packets get bunched up
behind
them
Further exercises
1. Pre-prepare a list of features. Classify them into four groups: Internet,
telephone, radio, television. The features could be taken from the text and/or

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worked out by students working in groups.

Possible topics for discussion

1. What do you think is the main cause of interruptions in internet transmission?
2. Why is audio data not transferred in the same way as telephone calls although
both the Internet and telephone calls use the same wires?
• Fundamentally, the Internet is far better suited for sending web pages than real-
time media because web pages are far smaller and far less sensitive to delays.
There is not much difference between a one- and two-second delay in getting a
web page, but a one-second pause in real-time video is unacceptable.
3. How do you use the Internet? (Which Internet services do you use most often?)
4. Do you use the Internet for making phone calls? Why/why not? What are
advantages and disadvantages?
• low price
• video transmission is possible
• there is no difference (in costs) between long and short distance communication
• the phone call quality depends on bandwidth of the connection
• requires computer connected to the Internet

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1.5 Computer Simulation
Exercises
Pre-reading exercises
1. How can we solve problems in cases where physical models are too complex
or expensive to build?
• computer simulation
2. Name some problems which can be solved using computer simulation?
• spread of infectious diseases
• panic in crowds
• crash testing
• explosions modelling
• aerodynamic solutions testing
• building demolition

Comprehension question
1. Explain the differences between discrete/continuous and
stochastic/deterministic simulation, giving examples.
• Stochastic models use random number generators to model chance or
random events; they are also called Monte Carlo simulations.
• Deterministic models have no random elements.
• A discrete event simulation (DES) manages events in time. Most computer,
logic-test and fault-tree simulations are of this type. In this type of simulation,
the simulator maintains a queue of events sorted by the simulated time they
should occur. The simulator reads the queue and triggers new events as each
event is processed. It is not important to execute the simulation in real time.
• A continuous dynamic simulation performs numerical solution of differential
-algebraic equations or differential equations (either partial or ordinary).
Periodically, the simulation program solves all the equations, and uses the
numbers to change the state and output of the simulation. Applications
include flight simulators, simulation games, chemical process modelling, and
simulations of electrical circuits.

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Possible topics for discussion
1. Is it possible to simulate any problem?

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1.6 Computer Facial Animation

Exercises
Pre-reading questions
1. Students are given pictures of human faces and try to guess what emotions
they
show.
2. What is the number of facial muscles?
• 48
3. Why are facial expressions so important in our lives?
• Gestures and facial expressions in general mean more than words or
sentences.
4. Where can facial animations be used?
• In cartoons, 3D rendered films (like Toy Story, Shrek) and in computer
games. Facial animation is constantly improving and in a couple of years it will
be hard to distinguish between a real actor and a virtual one.
5. What is the rendering process in computer graphics? What is the motion
capture technique?
• Rendering: all the methods used to take a picture using a computer. It
involves math calculations, data loading and so on.
• Motion capture is a technique used to obtain realistic animated movement.
An actor wears a special outfit with a number of sensors. When he moves, a
computer captures all the necessary movement data.
Comprehension questions
1. How would you define facial animation?
• Area of computer graphics that encapsulates models and techniques for
generating and animating images of the human head and face.
2. What is FACS?
• Facial Action Coding System - defines 64 basic facial Action Units which
represent primitive movements of muscles in actions, e.g. raising brows, talking.
3. What was Michael Jackson’s contribution to computer animation?
• His video of the song “Black Or White” was the first to use image morphing

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animation. The video showed a lot of human faces which are morphed from one
to another.
4. What can 2D animation be based on: images from still photography or
sequences of video?
• Both. There are methods for animating still images and others for animating
sequences of video.
5. What is the most realistic method of 3D animation? What makes it so good?
• The skeleton-muscle system. It is so effective because the method tries to
imitate human head muscles, skin, and bones. It is very complicated to build a
model consistent with this method, but the effects are breathtaking. It cannot be
used in computer games or on-line animation because of its complexity but is
great for high-budget films.
6. How does motion capture work?
• The subject is fitted with reflectors or sources that precisely determine its
position in space. Every movement of the sensor is recorded and then retraced on
the model. It’s very realistic but there are also some disadvantages like vibrations
of sensors causing disturbances.
7. How are visemes used in speech animation?
• Visemes are movements of lips and mouth muscles performed during speaking.
Visemes are used to represent key poses in observed speech. (Position of lips,
jaw, tongue).

Possible topics for discussion

1. How do you see the future of facial animation?
2. Think of your favorite computer animated character. Try to name the
techniques used to create it.
3. Is it probable that facial animation will achieve such a level of sophistication
that it will be impossible to distinguish real faces from virtual ones?

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1.7 Writing software patterns

Exercises
Pre-reading questions
1. What do you think might help in building software? What could make this
process faster and more effective?
2. Do you think that using ordinary solutions might help or would that be
useless in a specific task?
3. What types of software patterns do you know? Which one is your favorite
and why?

Comprehension questions
1. What are the differences and similarities between cookbooks and pattern
books?
2. What are the main characteristics of patterns? Name at least three key
features of them.
• Chunking information, naming a solution, recurrence/core of the solution
3. What do you understand by?
a. recurrence of the pattern?
• Solution must be applicable in different situations
b. core of the solution?
• a deeper similarity of problems
4. Why are ordinary solutions so important? How can they help in writing
software?
• e.g. by providing well-known and tested solutions for new problems
5. Explain how patterns can be used as a communication technique.

15
 Further exercises
• Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE?
1. The author defines a pattern as the solution to a problem in a context.
(FALSE)
2. According to the author of the text, dividing knowledge up simplifies writing
software.
(TRUE)
3. If you find a solution to a singular problem it’s completely useless as a
pattern.
(FALSE, you can evolve it into a wide-context solution)
3. In the author’s opinion, recipes are more general than patterns and you can
basically learn principles from them.
(FALSE)
4. The main similarity between recipes and patterns is the idea of chunking
information to make finding answers for particular questions easier.
(TRUE)
5. The author recommends using patterns in all possible situations.
(FALSE)

• Find words or phrases in the text that match the following meanings:
1. break up, divide up something (e.g. information, text); [chunk up]
2. to try to find a piece of information in a book or on a computer; [look up]
3. affecting or relating to a person or thing; [applicable]
4. make a useful contribution to a discussion; [bring to the table]
5. release (e.g., results); [spit out]
6. belief or idea, approach to some problem [notion]
Possible topics for discussion
• What are design patterns in architecture?
• What could this term refer to in software engineering?
• Which design patterns have you met so far? (e.g., MVC - Model-View-controller)

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1.8 Cyber warfare: Reality or Box Office Hit?
Exercises
Pre-reading questions
1. What does the threat of cyber terrorism mean to you?
• dangerous financial transactions
• theft data from hard disk
• eavesdrop traffic in network

2. Where, in your opinion, does the main threat of cyber terrorism come
from?
• nowadays - hackers acted individually, usually want to prove their skills
• in the future – very good, organized teams of specialists, supported by
government institutions

3. Have you thought about the threat of cyber terrorism?

Comprehension questions
1. Using the information in the text about the first DDoS attack and your own
knowledge, try to explain how DDoS works?
• A distributed denial of service attack occurs when multiple compromised
systems flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted system, usually one or
more web servers. It uses two methods: forcing the targeted computer(s) to
reset, consume its resources such that it can no longer provide its intended
service or obstructing the communication media between the intended users
and the victim so that they can no longer communicate adequately.
2. Can you name the large-scale attacks and who they were directed against?
• Solar Sunrise: Solar Sunrise is the name given to a series of attacks against
the Pentagon and MIT in February 1998.
• Moonlight Maze: Moonlight Maze refers to an incident in which U.S. officials
accidentally discovered a pattern of probing of computer systems at the
Pentagon, NASA, Energy Department, private universities, and research labs
that began in March 1998 and went on for nearly two years.

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 • Titan Rain: Titan Rain is the name given to a well-organized Chinese military
hacking effort against the U.S. military.

Further exercises
In groups, explain the meaning of these words:
• hacktivism
• mainframe
• cyberdefense
• bot
• botnet
Compare your answers with other groups.
Possible topics for discussion
1. Do you know of any other kinds of cyber attacks or threats? Which do you
think,
are the most dangerous for you?
2. Are you afraid of this kind of threat? Do you think you might lose something
in a cyber attack?

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1.9 Evolutionary Database Design
Exercises
Pre-reading questions
1. Have you heard about Agile Methodology? What are they used for?
2. What does DBA stand for?
3. What are DBA’s functions?

Comprehension questions
Dealing with Change
1. What are the main advantages of Agile Methodology?
• higher flexibility to change of development plans - changes to a system are
controlled at each stage of a project
• higher quality through earlier feedback from customers
• shortened development cycle time
• higher stability of workloads
2. What is the main difference between planned and evolutionary design?
• in planned methodology: treat design as a independent phase of project
development before implementation and testing
• evolutionary design: run the entire software life-cycle many times during the
life of a project
3. Why does agile methodology appear, at first glance, unsuitable for
database design?
• “Most people consider that database design is something that absolutely
needs up-front planning. Changing the database schema late in the
development tends to cause widespread breakages in application software.
Furthermore, changing a schema after deployment result in painful data
migration problems.”
4. What limitations do the authors admit to in using an evolutionary
approach to database design?
• They developed an application database for a single application rather than
an integration database that tries to integrate multiple databases.
• They don’t have to keep the production databases up 24/7

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The Practices
1. Why is close contact between developers and DBAs essential?
• “ Every task that a developer works on potentially needs a DBA’s help. Both
the developers and the DBA need to consider whether a development task is
going to make a significant change to the database schema. If so the developer
needs to consult with the DBA to decide how to make the change. The
developer knows what new functionality is needed, and the DBA has a global
view of the data in the application. To make this happen the DBA has to make
himself approachable and available. Make it easy for a developer to just pop
over for a few minutes and ask some questions. Make sure the DBAs and
developers sit close to each other so they can easily get together. Ensure that
application design sessions are known about so the DBA can pop in easily.“
2. What allows individual programmers to independently test their own
solutions on a database without negative consequences for the project?
• “It’s important for each developer to have their own sandbox where they can
experiment, and not have their changes affect anyone else. Many DBA experts
see multiple databases as anathema, too difficult to work in practice, but
we’ve found that you can easily manage a hundred or so database instances.
The vital thing is to have to tools to allow you to manipulate databases much
as you would manipulate files.”
3. What is the difference between a source code and database integration?
• “With source code, much of the pain of integration is handled by source
code control systems. For databases there is a bit more effort involved. Any
changes to the database need to done properly, as automated database
refactorings. In addition, the DBA needs to look at any database changes and
ensure that it fits within the overall scheme of the database schema. For this
to work smoothly, big changes shouldn’t come as surprises at integration time
- hence the need for the DBA to collaborate closely with the developers.”
4. What is the purpose of having test data?
• “ The main reason is to enable testing. We are great believers in using a large
body of automated tests to help stabilize the development of an application.
Such a body of tests is a common approach in agile methods. For these tests to
work efficiently, it makes sense to work on a database that is seeded with
some sample test data, which all tests can assume is in place before they run.”
• It allows the testing of migrations as the schema of the database are altered.
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5. How are automated changes in databases accomplished?
“Every database refactoring is automated by writing it in the form of SQL DDL
(for the schema change) and DML (for the data migration). These changes are
never applied manually, instead they are applied to the master by running a
small SQL script to perform the changes. Once done, we keep hold of these
script files to produce a complete change log of all the alterations done to the
database as a result of database refactorings. We can then update any
database instance to the latest master by running the change log of all the
changes since we copied the master to produce the older database instance.”
6. What are the advantages of separating the database layer from the code
base?
• It minimizes the areas of the system where developers need SQL knowledge
to manipulate the database, which makes life easier to developers who often
are not particularly skilled with SQL.
• It provides DBA with a clear section of the code that he can look at to see how
the database is being used.
• It helps in preparing indexes, database optimization, and looking at the SQL to
see how it could be reformulated to perform better.

Possible topics for discussion

• What other methodologies do you know?
• What are the possible advantages of these methodologies? Do they have any
drawbacks?
• How do you usually design your programs?

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1.10 Lord Palmerston on Programming
Exercises
Pre-reading questions
1. What does the phrase “a good programmer” mean to you?
2. What abilities/skills should a good programmer have?
3. Api or library? Which is more important?
4. Give some examples of the main programming areas.
5. Which programming languages are important now?

Comprehension questions
1. What is a “programming world”?
A programming area like windows api, networking, multimedia, games, etc.
2. Which IT areas is the author proficient in?
Windows and web programming
3. According to the article, what is the 90/10 rule?
• You can learn 90% of what you use day by day with a week of learning. But
the other 10% might take you a couple of years of catching up. Or the second
version: 90% of programming skills is the knowledge of different Api’s; 10% is
the languages
4. Why was the Java GUI system not very popular?
• Because the Sun company didn’t put the proper “taste” in it, it isn’t as native
as Windows controls Because ultimately it was not compatible with native
Windows facilities. The explanation is in the paragraph beginning: ‘Java
attempted this ...‘.
5. What should every good programming team include?
• There should be at least one very experienced programmer.

Further exercises:
Match the languages to the technologies.
• C++ with Windows, JavaScript with Web, etc

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Possible topics for discussion
1. How do you see the future of programming?
2. What kind of programming experience is most important in the job market?

23
1.11 Software Development Process
Pre-reading questions
1. What kind of job do you see yourself holding five years from now?
• computer programmer/software developer, graphic designer, scientist
2. Do you know any companies developing software? Would you like to join
any of them?
• IBM, Google, Microsoft, Sabre, Motorola, Onet, Interia
3. How do you imagine work is organized in these companies? What software
development methods do you know?
• methods: for example, iterative (extreme programming)
4. Have you used any of these methods so far?

Comprehension questions
1. What is the idea behind Test Driven Development?
• Writing tests for all the steps of software development, from planning to
coding.
2. What are the main benefits of using Agile Methods?
• Better productivity, reduction of software defects, cost reduction, reduced
project risk.
3. What is the main aim of introducing the SPICE standard?
• To simplify the comparison of different development models.
4. What is the aim of utilizing the Six Sigma methodology, and how can it help
the performance of some kinds of companies?
• The aim of using the Six Sigma methodology is to improve the performance
of a company. The use of this methodology can identify and eliminate defects
in manufacturing and service-related processes.
5. Which of the software development steps involve most contact with the
customer? (possible topic for discussion)
• Software elements analysis, Specification, Software training and support.
6. What kind of projects often requires the use of the Waterfall Process of
software development?
• Usually high-risk projects.

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 7. What is the function of requirements management, mentioned in
reference to Waterfall Process?
• To control changes and correct mistakes during requirements establishing.
8. With reference to iterative processes, what is agile development mainly
based on?
• It is mainly based on the feedback given by the customer, who is repeatedly
provided with constantly evolving software.
9. What condition must the coding process fulfil before it can be completed?
• The implemented part has to pass all the tests designed before coding.

Further exercises
1. Students work in two teams: A/B. Group A are the customers, group B the
developers. Imagine how the iterative process of development works on any
application (e.g., building a house) and simulate it. Prepare a very short
report which sums up the negotiations between the teams.
2. Prepare a comparison between iterative and waterfall processes. Write it
down in table form. Focusing on the differences, answer the following
questions:
• Which features of these techniques do you think are better?
• Do you use any of them? Which ones and why?

Possible topics for discussion

1. Do you agree with the critics of the iterative processes?
2. What are the steps of software development that are indispensable for
creating a good academic project?
3. Imagine that you are the manager of a team of several people. Write the
outline of a project that you have heard about during your studies. How would
you divide the work within your team to make the final product perfect?

25
 Chapter Two: Structure and Grammar
Exercises
Present Tense:
A. Choose the correct form of the verb in simple present tense.
1. I ( cook / cooks ) on Monday.
2. You ( wash / washes ) the car on Tuesday.
3. We ( cook / cooks ) on Wednesday.
4. They ( wash / washes ) the car on Thursday.
5. He (study / studies) English on Friday.
6. She ( wash / washes ) the car on Saturday.
7. It (study / studies) English on Friday.
8. Tom and Amy (cook / cooks) on Wednesday.
9. Daniel and I (cook / cooks) on Tuesday.
10. Herbert (cook / cooks) on Sunday.
11. Carlos and Peter (wash / washes) the car on Friday.
12. Jovita (wash / washes) the car on Saturday.
13. Ko, Uri, and I (study / studies) English on Monday.
14. The students (study / studies) English on Thursday.
15. You never (make) _______ breakfast for me. I always (have) _______ to
make it myself.
16. I usually (watch) _______ TV, but tonight I (think) _______ I will read a
book.
17. When he (be) _______ alone at night, Beto sometimes (get) _______
scared.
18. Joel (like) _______ to play soccer. He (practice) _______ every day.
Note: The following exercise uses either the affirmative or a negative voice.
Example: He (not, play) does not play the guitar.
19. I rarely (eat) _______ chocolate. I (not, like) _______ ______ _______the
way it (taste) _______.

26
 20. We (like) _______ to watch movies. My favorite movie (be) _______
Titanic.
21. The ocean (sound) _______ like an airplane.
22. The flag (blow) _______ in the wind every day. It is getting old. It
(need) _______ to be replaced soon.
23. The janitor at my school (empty) _______ the trash on Sunday.
24. I (be, not) _______ _______ tired. I (think) _______ I will read a book.
Note: These sentences use verbs and adverbs. An adverb says something more
about the action of a verb.
Example: Joseph (always, climb) always climbs trees in his yard.
25. Julia (sometimes, sell) _______ _______ lemonade on hot days.
26. Thomas (often, play) _______ _______ baseball after school.
27. My neighbor (never, paint) _______ _______ his house; it looks terrible!
28. The students (eagerly, leave) _______ _______ their classrooms when
the bell rings.
29. Mrs. Gomez (quickly, water) _______ _______ the plants when she (get)
_______ home at five o'clock.

B. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in present
progressive tense.
Example: You / We / they (play) are playing the piano now.
1. I (run) _________ _________ now.
2. I (talk) _________ _________ now.
3. You (get) __________ _________ hungry now.
4. You (eat) _________ _________ now.
5. We (plan) _________ _________ the vacation now.
6. They (play) _________ _________ the game now.
7. They (stop) _________ _________ the game now.
8. He (swim) _________ __________ in the pool now.
9. He (sleep) _________ _________ in the bed now.

27
 10. She (shop) _________ _________ at the mall now.
11. Erin and Jessica (make) ________ ________ a cake right now.
12. Shhh…be quiet! The teacher (speak) ________ ________ now!
13. Marcos and I (study) ________ ________ English now.
14. Are Daniel and James playing football this year? No, they ________
________ soccer.
15. Billy (do) ________ ________ his homework now. We are going to watch
a movie when he is finished.
16. Right now, you (type) ________ ________ on the computer.
17. The computer (process) ________ ________ a command.
Note: The following exercise uses either the affirmative or negative voice.
Example: I (not, drive) am not driving to work today. I am walking.
18. It (get) ________ _________ cold outside and my son (camp) ________
_________ high up in the mountains. I hope he (not, freeze) ________ ________
_________ up there!
19. Eddie (not, write) ________ ________ ________ a novel. He (write) ________
________ a poem.
20. Uncle Terry and his friend (fish) ________ ________ at the lake today.
They (not, fish) ________ ________ _________ at the beach.
Note: These sentences use verbs and adverbs. An adverb says something more
about the action of a verb.
Example: Raul (wisely, check) is wisely checking the oil in his car.
21. The breeze (softly, blow) _______ _______ _______ on our faces.
22. The dog is very hungry. He is (quickly, eat) ________ ________ ________
all of his food.
23. The chestnut racehorse (already, cross) ________ ________ ________ the
finish line. Its owner is very happy.
24. Jonathan (rarely, exercise) ________ ________ ________, now that he is in
college.
25. Mrs. Stevens (angrily, yell) ________ ________ ________at the man who
hit her car.
26. Be careful! You (almost, spill) ________ ________ ________ the paint.
28
 27. The police (abruptly, stop) ________ ________ ________ traffic at the
intersection.

C. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in simple present
tense or present progressive tense.
1. Jessie (ride) ________ his bike every day. In fact, he (ride) ________ ________ his
bike right now.
2. Arnold and Peter (take) ________ ________ a test now. They (take) ________ a
lot of tests.
3. I (want) ________ some new shoes. The pair I (have) ________ now (get)
________ ________ old.
4. Tony (be) ________ my friend. We (spend) ________ a lot of time together.
5. What (be) ________ your name? Where (be) ________ you from? Where (do)
_______ you live?
6. I (no, watch) _______ _______ _________ TV now. I (talk) _______ _________ on the
phone. I (like) ________ to talk on the phone.
7. Andrea (like) ________ to cook. Right now, she (make) _______ _________
vegetable soup.
8. When (do) _______ the bus leave? I hope we (be) _______ not too late!

D. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in simple present
perfect tense.
Note: To form the simple present perfect tense, has or have is used with a past
participle (the word that comes after "had") to describe an action that has
happened in the past and may still be happening. The past participle is often
regular, and therefore retains its simple past tense spelling, as “visited” does
here.
Example: I / You / We / they (visit) have visited Argentina before.
1. I (visit) _______ ________ Australia before.
2. You (visit) _______ ________ Mexico before.
3. We (visit) _______ ________ Canada before.
4. They (visit) _______ ________ China before.

29
 5. He (visit) _______ ________ Africa before
6. She (visit) _______ ________ India before.
7. It (visit) _______ ________ Europe before.
Note: In this exercise, all of the past participles are irregular. This means that
they have unexpected changes in spelling and pronunciation which are not the
same as the simple past forms. You may want to refer to a list of irregular verbs
to find irregular past participles.
Example: Amy (eat) has eaten lunch already.
8. Mark (eat) _______ ________ dinner already. He is not hungry.
9. Beth (write) _______ ________ three letters today. She misses her family.
10. Yoko and Armand (take) _______ ________ the test. Now they can relax.
11. Marty and I (be) _______ ________ to Costa Rica three times.
12. We are familiar with the culture.
13. I (drink) _______ _______ six cups of water today.
14. Eva (sing) _______ ________ in a chorus before. Her voice is pretty.
15. Chong-Li (get) _______ ________ very good at speaking English. She has
practiced a lot.
16. Lucy (hide) _______ ________ in the woods. Now her friends will try to
find her.
17. It (be) _______ ________ a good week so far.
18. You (show) ________ _________ that you are a hard worker. Good job!
Note: These sentences use verbs and adverbs. An adverb says something more
about the action of a verb.
Example: Juliet (always, work) has always worked at the library.
19. The babysitter (often, cook) _______ ________ _________ dinner for the
children lately because their parents have been working late.
20. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson (never, travel) ________ ________ _________
overseas. They like staying closer to home.
21. Professor Alvarez (usually, test) _______ ________ ________ his biology
class twice each semester. Occasionally, though, he gives three tests.

30
 22. Tim and Todd (sometimes, play) _______ _________ _______ banjos at the
festival. We hope they will be able to play there this year.
23. In the aftermath of last week’s hurricane, the volunteers (willingly,
work) ______ _________ ________ long hours. Many are exhausted, but refuse
to quit.
Note: The following exercise has either the affirmative or the negative voice:
Example: We (not, eat) have not eaten dinner yet.
24. The President (speak) _______ _________. His decision is final. Many
people don’t agree with him, but making hard decisions is part of his job.
I would not want that job!
25. The letter you sent me (not, arrive) _______ _______ _________ yet. I
(check) _______ ________ my mailbox for it every day. I wonder where it
could be.
26. I (wait) _______ ________ for thirty minutes and my friend (not, come)
_______ _______ ________ to meet me. I am a little worried about her, because
she is always on time.
27. I (visit) ________ _________ Spain before. It is a beautiful country. I love
the old, southern city of Cádiz, which has wonderful plazas and beaches.

E. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in present perfect
progressive tense.
Note: The present perfect progressive tense expresses the idea that something
has happened continuously since some time in the past, and is still happening
now.
Example: He (wait) has been waiting on the train for two hours.
Example: Don't worry. We (not, wait) have not been waiting for you for long.
1. The children (play) _______ _______ _________ outside all day. They must be
getting hungry by now. They need to come inside for dinner.
2. This week, we (read) _______ _______ _________ selections from the Romantic
Period in Literature class. My favorite Romantic authors are Poe and
Hawthorne.
3. The criminal has not been caught yet. The police (chase) _______ _______
_________ him since yesterday.

31
4. Lu Peng (make) _______ _______ _________ bread all day. It smells so good! His
bakery is next door to our shop. We are taking two loaves of his fresh
bread home when we close the shop tonight.
5. The construction workers (build) _______ _______ _________ that house all
winter. They (not, work) _______ _______ _______ _________ on it this week,
though, because it (rain) _______ _______ _________ every day since Monday.
6. The roses (not, bloom) _______ _______ _______ _________ much lately. We (not,
water) _______ _______ _______ _________ them enough. The soil is getting dry.
7. I (not, sleep) _______ _______ _______ _________ very well lately. I think I need
to get more exercise during the day. That would help me to feel tired at
night.
8. Akira (learn) _______ _______ _________ about plants in her biology class. She
is paying close attention to the lectures. She wants to become a botanist
some day.

F. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in simple present
perfect tense or present perfect progressive tense.
1. We (already, bake) _______ ________ ________ the cake. Now, we just have to
decorate it with icing. Would you like to help?
2. Have you ever been to Italy? I (see) _______ _______ pictures of the town of
Assisi. Someday, I would like to travel there to see its beautiful churches.
3. The voters (elect) _______ ________ a new governor. She (make) _______ _______
_________ her acceptance speech for the past thirty minutes. I hope she will
finish soon!
4. The package I sent to Pablo (not, arrive) _______ _______ _________ yet. He
(call) _______ _______ _________ the Post Office every day. I don't know what
happened to it.
5. The fishermen (not, catch) _______ _______ _________ many fish today. A
strong wind (blow) _______ _______ _________ all day, and they are having
trouble with their nets.
6. (Edward, receive) _______ ________ ________ the money yet? I sent it to him
last week.
7. Mahmoud and Rickie are dirty. They (play) _______ _______ _________ outside
all day. It is time for them to come in and take a bath.

32
 8. (You, hear) _______ _______ ________ the news? There was a terrible
earthquake in Haiti! The residents need a lot of help.
9. Igor (want) _______ ________ to visit Paris for years. He (save) _______ _______
_________ his money for a plane ticket. He (almost, save) _______ _______
________ enough.
Past Tense:

A. Fill in the spaces with the correct forms of these regular verbs in
simple past tense.
1. I (dry) ________ the dishes after dinner.
2. You (worry) ________ about the last test.
3. We (copy) ________ Sally’s notes from the lecture.
4. They (cry) ________ when their team lost.
5. He (discover) ________ a new star with his telescope Saturday.
6. She (fry) ________ all of her food until now.
7. It (bury) ________ the bone in the trash.
Note: When a verb has one syllable and ends in a consonant + vowel +
consonant, the final consonant is doubled before adding –ed to form the simple
past tense. Exceptions to this rule are words that end in 'w' or 'x', like sewed
and waxed.
Example: I / You / We / They / He / She It (chop) chopped the wood.
8. I (trap) ________ the mouse on Monday.
9. You (jog) ________ yesterday morning.
10. We (flip) ________ the pancakes at breakfast.
11. They (chop) ________ firewood last winter.
12. He (mix) ________ the chemicals together in the lab.
13. The nurse (help) ________ the patient to stand up.
14. It (tip) ________ the bucket over.
Note: Irregular verbs have unexpected spelling changes in various tenses,
including the simple past tense.
15. I (be) _______ busy painting last night.
33
 16. You (make) _______ a good cake for his birthday.
17. We (choose) _______ to ride the train yesterday.
18. They (fall) _______ while skating together.
19. He (keep) _______ the profits for himself.
20. She (meet) _______ her new coach on Monday.
21. It (ring) _______ the bell on the birdhouse two times.
22. She (be) _______ my friend in second grade.
23. Mr. Thomas (mow) _______ the grass yesterday morning.
24. Vickie and I (hide) _______ the presents before the party.
25. The old cars (lead) _______ the parade last year.
26. Mr. Jones (lay) ______ the tile in our old house.
27. The student (finish) _______ his big project on time.
28. Gerald (call) _______ his mother last Sunday.
29. You (do) _______ the best job.
30. Amy (go) _______ home afterward. (regular / irregular)
31. The doctor (stitch) _______ his patient's wound quickly. (regular /
irregular)
32.
Note: Some irregular verbs do not change their spelling in the simple past
tense.
Example: I (cut) [cut] the watermelon yesterday.
33. You (shut) ______ the door before it rained.
34. We (quit) _______ watching the movie last night.
35. They (hurt) ________ their knees on the rocks.
36. He (put) ______ the book back Wednesday.
Note: In this exercise, adverbs, like still, already, usually, frequently, slowly,
quickly and others—are used in simple past tense verbs. An adverb tells us
something more about the action of the verb. It is said to "modify" the verb.
Example: Savannah (quickly, swim) quickly swam the first two laps of the race.

34
 37. Jared (frequently, drive) _______ _______ his father's truck to work last
summer.
38. Mr. and Mrs. Porter (usually, stay) _______ _______ at Cape Hatteras
for the season.
39. Susan (already, play) _______ _______ the flute well before she began
to play the piccolo.
40. The sun (slowly, drop) _______ _______ below the horizon as we
watched.
41. The principal (kindly, speak) _______ _______ to the crying child.
42. The children (normally, wait)_______ _______ for the bus on the corner
of Walnut and Elm Streets.
43. The old house (still, look) _______ _______ just as it had when he last
visited.
44. The artist (quickly, draw) _______ _______ a cartoon as the crowd
watched.
45. Mrs. Campos (patiently, wait) _______ _______ for the nurse to call her
into the examining room.
46. The passengers (happily, cheer) _______ _______ as their hot air
balloon lifted from the ground.

B. Choose the correct form of the verb in past progressive tense.

Note: This tense describes actions that were in progress in the past. It uses the
helping verb "was" with the pronouns I / He / She / It, and "were" with the
pronouns You / We / They. Then, –ing is added to the base form of the verb.
Example: I / He / She / It / (wash) was washing the car yesterday.
Example: You / We / They (wear) were wearing their old clothes at the cabin.
1. I [was walking / were walking] through the mall Tuesday.
2. He [was playing / were playing] baseball until four o'clock.
3. You [was watching / were watching] the sunset last night.
4. They [was staying / were staying] at the same hotel that year.
5. She [was smelling / were smelling] the coffee when she woke up.
6. We [was planting / were planting] the garden on May 15th.
35
 7. It [was barking / were barking] loudly at the cat.
Note: With some verbs, the last letter of the verb must be doubled in past
progressive tense before adding –ing. The rule for doubling is: when a one-
syllable verb ends with consonant-vowel-consonant, the final consonant is
doubled. If the verb is longer than one syllable, the final consonant is doubled
only if the stress falls on the last syllable. Exceptions: never double the letters
h,w,x,y.
Example: I / He / She / It / (get) was getting a new bicycle before the race.
Example: You / We / They (plan) were planning to travel last fall.
Example: I / He / She / It / (sew) was sewing robes for the choir.
8. I [was swiming / was swimming] a lot during the summer.
9. We [were siting / were sitting] on the rocks by the river.
10. They [were runing / were running] faster than anyone else in that
race.
11. He [was stoping / was stopping] often to tie his shoe.
12. It [was fiting / was fitting] until she gained weight.
13. She [was waxing / was waxxing] her skis before the trip.
14. You [were shoping / were shopping] all day yesterday.
Note: With verbs that end with a silent 'e', the final 'e' is dropped before adding
–ing.
Example: I / He / She / It / (hope) was hoping to see the concert.
15. I [was biking / were biking] to school last semester.
16. He [was making / were making] a model airplane.
17. We [was caring / were caring] for the sick children in March.
18. You [was taking / were taking] too much time.
19. It [was becoming / were becoming] colder that evening.
20. She [was looking / were looking] at the sign.
21. They [was shining / were shining] the car for the parade.
Note: The following exercise uses affirmative and negative forms for the past
progressive tense.
Example: Joe and Jeremy were not riding motorcycles to work until yesterday.

36
 22. Josh (learn ) _______ _______ to drive the van.
23. Our neighbor (not, mow) _______ _______ _______ his grass very often.
It looked terrible.
24. The witness (not, hide) _______ _______ _______ any evidence.
25. Holly and Gina (take) _______ _______ care of the puppy while we were
away.
26. The zookeeper (feed) ________ _______ the ocelots earlier today.
27. The cafeteria (not, serve) _______ _______ _______ ice cream yesterday.
28. The soloist (sing) _______ ______ an aria a minute ago.
29. The girls (not, listen) ______ _______ _______ to the teacher's directions.
30. Warren (not, surf) _____ _______ _______ Saturday; the ocean was calm.
31. Lori and I (run) _______ _______ at the track every day last week.

C. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
simple past perfect tense.
Note: This tense describes actions that have been completed before other past
actions. It can also describe actions that happened in the distant past (other
actions have happened since then). When used in the simple past perfect tense,
the past participle (the word that comes after "had") is often regular, and
therefore retains its simple past tense spelling.
Example: I / You / We / They / He / She / It (hike) had hiked some difficult
trails before that trip to Colorado.
1. I (study) _______ _______ extremely hard before the test was given.
2. You (pick) _______ _______ a lot of tomatoes from your garden before we had
any ripe ones in ours.
3. We (expect) _______ _______ to find many vacant hotel rooms, but we only
found one.
4. They (play) ______ _______ in the Super Bowl in 1990, so they were more
prepared in 1995.
5. He (enjoy) _______ ______ color photography before he tried black-and-
white film.

37
 6. She (look) _______ ________ all over town for a formal dress before she found
one she liked.
7. It (jump) ______ _______ out of its cage just before we arrived at the zoo!
Note: The following exercise requires using the simple past perfect tense form
for irregular verbs.
Example: He (wrote) had written a book about bass fishing before he began
the one on fishing boats.
8. You (know) _______ _______ about conditions in the Middle East long before
you made that trip.
9. Robert (begin) _______ ______ to research his family history a year before he
visited Ireland.
10. The Kowalske family (eat) _______ ______ organic vegetables even
before they planted their garden.
11. Before the treasure hunt started, Ryan's mother (hide)_______
________ clues in the yard.
12. Jenna (ride) _______ _______ her bike 12 miles; now she was sore.
Note: The following exercise requires using the simple past perfect tense form
for either the affirmative or negative voice.
Example: Huan (not, want) had not wanted to study chemistry last semester.
13. We (not, stand) _______ _______ _______ in the rain long before the gates
were opened.
14. Russ and Becca (not, have) ______ ______ ______much experience with
building before they started their deck.
15. The Wilsons (not, save)_______ _______ ______ enough money to pay
their taxes before the deadline arrived.
16. He and Carlos (not, work) _______ _______ _______ for six months, then
the company rehired them.
17. The batter (not, swing) _______ _______ _______ at any pitches before he
was hit by the ball.
Note: In this exercise, adverbs, like still, already, usually, frequently, never, and
others—are used in verbs which are in the simple past perfect tense. An adverb
tells us something more about the action of the verb. It is said to "modify" the
verb.

38
Example: You (already, ring) had already rung the bell before it was time for
class.
18. Christy (already, adopt) _______ ______ _______ several dogs before she
adopted Molly.
19. Seth (seldom, play) _______ _______ _______soccer before he tried out
for his school's team.
20. That species of elephant (recently, disappear) ______ ______ ______
from the area, so we were not able to see it.
21. It was a good year for Melissa; she (quickly, sell) ______ ______ ______
her quota of houses and was rewarded with a vacation.
22. Edward (never, forgive) ______ ______ ______ Elise; now he was leaving
her.

D. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
past perfect progressive tense.
Note: This tense describes actions which were ongoing before other past
actions, or which were ongoing in the distant past. It uses the helping verb
phrase "had been" followed by the verb + "ing".
Example: I / You / We / They / He / She / It had been watching the fish in the
aquarium before w the giant turtle appeared.
1. Before I bought my new boat, I (go) ______ ______ ______ to the boat show
every day to see the newest models.
2. You (talk) ______ ______ ________ to Whitney before the show began.
3. We (think) ______ ______ ______ about buying an electric car even before the
price of gas went up.
4. They (race) ______ ______ ______ cars at that track for twenty years before it
closed.
5. He (drive) ______ ______ ______ too fast all afternoon before the accident
happened.
6. After she died, it was discovered that she (make) ______ ______ ______ secret
donations to the shelter for years.
Note: Some of the sentences in this exercise provide practice using the negative
in past perfect progressive tense.

39
Example: The firefighters (not, sleep) had not been sleeping at all until more
help arrived.
7. Tony's knee (ache) ______ ______ ______ until the coach bandaged it.
8. Sean and Melinda (not, keep) _____ ______ _______ ______ good financial
records before they got an accountant to help them.
9. The owner of the cookie shop (plan) ______ ______ ______ to add two more
ovens before the building burned.
10. My family and I (live) ______ ______ ______ in the Florida Keys before
we decided to move to the northern part of the state.
11. The peaches (not, hang) ______ ______ ______ ______ on the trees for long
before the birds ate them.

40
Future Tense
A. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
simple future tense.
Note: The simple future tense is used to express something which will happen
or something which will be true in the future. One way to form this tense is:
“will” + the simple present tense form of the verb. We use “will” when the
subject is volunteering to do something in the future or deciding to do
something in the future while speaking.
1. I guess I (ride) _______ _______ the bus to save gas.
2. The cookies are all gone. (buy) _______ you _______ some, please?
3. Listen, team: we (win) _______ _______ the trophy this year!
4. Everyone is hungry. I (get) _______ _______ some doughnuts for breakfast.
5. Peter, (fix) _______ you _______ the porch tomorrow?
6. Becky, (go) _______ you _______ to Alaska with us this summer?
7. If we take a trip, we (put) _______ ________ Barkley in a kennel.
Note: Sometimes the simple future tense is expressed using “am,” “is,” or “are”
with “going to.” This form is used when a decision has already been made to do
something in the future.
Example: Drew and I (run) are going to run in the race next week.
8. The department store (have) ______ ________ _____ _______ a sale.
9. The nurse (bandage) _____ ________ ______ ________Bobby’s leg.
10. Mr. and Mrs. Franklin (buy) ______ _______ _____ ______ a houseboat.
11. We (grow) ______ ________ _____ _______ grapes to make wine.
12. Toni and David (name) _______ ________ _____ _______ the baby
“Melinda.”
13. The store owner (hire) _____ _______ _____ ________ an accountant to do
her taxes.
Note: Sometimes the simple future tense is expressed by using a verb in the
simple present tense form with an adverb or adverbial phrase like tomorrow,
next, later, soon, next week, etc.
Example: Victoria (give, gives) gives her speech tomorrow.

41
 14. Joseph (graduate, graduates) _________ from college next month.
15. Matthew and I (meet, meets) ________ with the manager later today.
16. The surgeon (operate, operates) ________ Tuesday morning.
17. The new employee (start, starts) ________ work soon.
18. Giovanni (conduct, conducts) ________ the orchestra tonight.
19. Our family (gather, gathers) ________ for a reunion next week.
Note: The sentences in this exercise use negatives (like “not”) or adverbs.
Adverbs, like still, usually, sometimes, often, and others tell us something more
about the action of the verb. They are said to "modify" the verb.
Example: Seth (always, drive) will always drive his 1975 Mustang. He loves
that car.
20. You are busy. Tina and I (gladly, rake) _______ ________ ________ the
yard.
21. Our staff (not, attend) _____ ______ _______ _____ _______ the convention
this year.
22. I ruined that piece of pottery. I (simply, make) _______ ________ _______
another one.
23. Our muscles are hurting. I guess we (not, exercise) _______ ______
_______ much today.
24. The police (probably, catch) _________ ________ ________ the bank
robber.
25. Stan, you (not, play) _______ _______ ________ any solos in the jazz
concert tomorrow. You have not practiced enough.
26. Jim was bitten by a shark, but he (still, dive) _____ _______ ________ _____
_______ in the ocean,
27. We are almost late for dinner with our parents. I am afraid we (not,
arrive) _______ ________ ________ on time.
28. Savannah is allergic to shellfish. She (never, eat) _____ ________ _______
_____ ______ lobster again.

B. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in future
progressive tense.

42
Note: The future progressive tense (also called future continuous tense)
describes actions which will be ongoing in the future. It can be formed using
either “will be” + present participle (the -ing form of the verb) or “am/is/are” +
“going to be” + present participle. Usually, in the future progressive tense, these
two methods are interchangeable. Remember, that is not true in the simple
future tense.
Example: Professor Baker (teach) will be teaching American history next
semester.
1. I (clean) _____ _______ _____ _____ ________ the house while you are doing the
laundry.
2. The forecast says that it (rain) ______ _____ ________ all night.
3. Grandma (smile) _______ _____ ________ when she answers the door.
4. On Tuesday, the girls (take) _______ ________ _____ _____ ________ a taxi to the
airport.
5. The plumber (connect) ______ _____ _________ the water pipes to the house
tomorrow.
6. Brian (supervise) _______ _____ _________ the construction crew for a few
days.
7. The Fergusons (fishing) _______ _____ _______ while they are on vacation.
8. Stella (play) _____ _______ _____ _____ _________ the solo for the concerto.
9. Julia and Rick (look) _____ _______ _____ _____ _______ for a new house while
they are in Portland.
Note: This exercise uses the future progressive tense in question format.
Example: Are you (feed) going to feed the dogs while Mom is in the hospital?
10. _____ Jacob (search) ________ _____ _____ ________ for a new job soon?
11. _____ Whitney and Megan (put) ________ _____ _____ ________ up the
decorations for the party?
12. _______ Claire (pay) _____ ________ the caterer today?
13. _______ the boys (play) _____ ________ soccer this afternoon?

C. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
future perfect tense.

43
Note: The future perfect tense is used to describe something which will happen
in the future before something else happens. To form this tense, we use “will
have” with the past participle form of the verb.
Example: We can move the new computers in next week. They will have
arrived on Saturday.
1. Before the store opens, the employees (prepare) _______ _______ ________ for
the sale.
2. By the time the treasure hunt begins, Susan (hide) _______ _______ ________
all the clues.
3. The housekeeper (clean) _______ _______ ________the house when the guests
arrive.
4. You can touch the walls tomorrow. The paint (dry) _______ _______ ________
by then.
5. By Tuesday, the roofers (finish) _______ _______ ________ laying the tiles.
6. The explorers (climb) _______ _______ _______ the mountain when the
helicopter brings their supplies.
7. Before the horses race at 10:00, huge crowds (gather) _______ _______
_________ at the track.
8. Jason and Samantha (buy) _______ _______ _________ a house before they
move to Louisville in August.
9. Manuel wants to get a good grade on the quiz. He (study) _______ _______
________ for at least two hours when he takes it.
10. By the time Herman tells all of his jokes, he (irritate) _______ _______
________ everyone in the audience!
Note: This exercise uses future perfect tense with negatives. Be sure to pay
attention to word order.
Example: The garden party is next Friday. Unfortunately, the zinnias (not,
bloom) will not have bloomed by then.
11. Samuel wants to drive to the beach in July, but he (not, receive)
_______ _______ _______ ________ his driver’s license yet.
12. Li Ming will need a shower when she gets home from camping. She
(not, take) _______ _______ _______ ________ one for three days.

44
 13. We don’t want to leave the pool at noon. We (not, swim) _______
_______ _______ ________ long enough by then.
14. The runners will all need some water when they get here. They
(not, drink) _______ ______ _______ ________ anything for the last four miles
15. When I go to work out at the gym on Wednesday, I (not, exercise)
_______ _______ _______ _________ for a week!
Note: This exercise uses the future perfect tense in questions. Be sure to pay
attention to word order.
Example: Will our luggage (arrive) have arrived by the time we get to the
baggage area?
16. _______ you (retire) _______ ________ by 2014?
17. _______ the party (end) _______ _______ by 2:00 a.m.?
18. Do you think the prisoner (confess) _______ _______ ________ his crime
when he appears in court?
19. _______ Danielle (give) _______ ________ her speech by the time Andrew
gives his?
20. How much rent _______ the tenants (pay)_______ _______ by the end of
the year?

D. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
future perfect progressive tense.
Note: The future perfect progressive tense is used to describe future actions
which will happen before a specific future time. To form this tense, we use “will
have been” with the present participle (-ing form) of the verb.
Example: By July, Gina (run) will have been running her new business for a
year.
1. This spring, the twins (attend) _______ _______ _______ _________ culinary
school for two years.
2. By 2012, our city (recover) _______ _______ _______ _________ from the
hurricane for ten years.
3. When it closes next week, the furniture store (do) _______ _______ _______
________ business since 1910.

45
 4. By tomorrow morning, it (snow) _______ _______ _______ _______ for four days
without stopping!
5. Aunt Jane (cook) _______ _______ _______ _________ breakfast for about an hour
when we get up.
6. As of the end of the year, our company (lead) ______ _______ _______ ________
the market in sales for over a decade.
7. When Mr. Ramirez retires, he (teach) _______ _______ _______ _________ for 34
years.
8. Friends of the bride (decorate) ______ _______ _______ _________ the banquet
hall before the reception begins.
9. By the end of the year, our church’s attendance (increase) _______ _______
_______ _________ by at least 10 percent per year for the past 20 years.
10. The harpist needs a break. After this piece, she (play) _______ _______
______ _________ for two hours straight.
Note: This exercise uses the future perfect progressive tense in questions. Pay
careful attention to word order.
Example: How long will you (work) have been working by five o’clock?
11. How many miles _______ Bruce (drive) _______ _______ ________ when he
reaches Columbia?
12. _______ the cake (bake) _______ _______ ________ long enough by two
o’clock?
13. _______ you (sleep) _______ _______ ________ long enough if I wake you at
6:00 a.m.?
14. How long _______ we (shop) _______ _______ ________ by the time we
leave the mall?
15. How many years _______ Mrs. Grant (work) _______ _______ _________ for this
company when she starts her new job?

46
A. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in simple present
perfect tense or present perfect progressive tense.
Mrs. Rogers: Good afternoon, Mr. Tenny. Thank you for coming to the
interview today. I am so glad you could make time to meet.
Mr. Tenny: Hello, Mrs. Rogers. It’s nice to meet you. I (hear) _______
________(1) that your company has grown and needs more space.
Mrs. Rogers: Yes, that’s why we’re searching for an architect. May I ask you
some questions about your employment history and professional
experience? That way, we can both decide whether the job is a good fit for
you.
Mr. Tenny: Sure.
Mrs. Rogers: Okay. On your resume, it says that you (work) _______ _______
_________(2) as an architect for the last eighteen years. Is that right?
Mr. Tenny: Yes, that's correct. I (have) _______ _______(3) a lot of experience
in the field during those years. It has been a great career for me. I (always,
love) _______ ________ ________(4) architecture, ever since I visited the pyramids
in Egypt as a young boy.
Mrs. Rogers: The pyramids are fascinating. But, I would guess that you have
not spent your career designing pyramids.
Mr. Tenny (laughing): No! Not at all. I have designed many different types
of buildings, both for commercial and private use.
Mrs. Rogers: Well, we are looking for someone to design our next office
building. We have outgrown the space we have, and need to move ahead on
a new building right away. We’re thinking about a building around twenty
stories tall. (You, have) _______ ______ _______(5) any experience with buildings
of that size?
Mr. Tenny: Yes. I (design) _______ ________(6) several tall buildings, including
a twenty-two-story bank building in Atlanta and a twenty-five-story
insurance building in Utah. I also oversaw the construction of two thirty-
five-story buildings in Texas. Those were built for an oil refining company.
Mrs. Rogers: You certainly have worked with people from a wide range of
professions.
Mr. Tenny: That’s true, and it is part of what makes my work interesting.

47
Mrs. Rogers: That's great. Now, can you please tell me a bit about the project
you (work) _______ _______ _________(7) on recently? I understand that you are
using a lot of technology in this one.
Mr. Tenny: That’s right. For the past two months, I (assemble) _______ _______
_________(8) a team to build an energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly
building. It will use solar energy. I (spend) _______ ________ _________(9) a lot of
my time on this project lately.
Mrs. Rogers: Yes, I (hear) _______ ________(10) a lot about your new project. I
(read) _______ _______ _________ (11) about it in the newspaper for the past few
weeks. It sounds exciting.
Mr. Tenny: Yes, it is. It will be different than any other building I (work)
_______ ________(12) on. Is your company interested in including “green
technology” in your new buildings?
Mrs. Rogers: Yes, we are--very much so. Our board of directors feels that
our buildings should have as little impact on the environment as possible.
Also, we are concerned about working conditions. We would like to include
a nice outdoor park area with a walking track and picnic tables for our
employees.
Mr. Tenny: That is wonderful. That (become) _______ ________(13) a trend in
new construction for office buildings in the past few years. Employees need
exercise. They need to take at least one break from their computer screens
every day and get outdoors.
Mrs. Rogers: I agree.
Mr. Tenny: Is there anything else you would like to know while I am here?
Mrs. Rogers: Not at the moment. I think I (get) _______ ________(14) all the
information I need for now. Thank you for coming. We will be holding a
second series of interviews with the top candidates. Our Vice President of
Development, Mr. Ferguson, will be in charge of those. I expect we will be
contacting you shortly.
Mr. Tenny: Wonderful. I (enjoy) _______ ________(15) our talk. Have a nice day,
Mrs. Rogers.
Mrs. Rogers: You too, Mr. Tenny.

B. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
simple past tense.
48
When Abby (be) _______(1) seven years old, she (do, not, like) _______ _______
_______(2) piano lessons. She (do, not, like) _______ _______ ________(3) to
practice, and sometimes she even (cry) _______(4) when it (be) _______(5) time
to practice. Finally, she (stop) _______(6) taking lessons.
Some of Abby's friends (do, not, quit) _______ _______ _______(7) their lessons.
They (continue) _______(8) to play. After much practice, they (learn) _______(9)
to play very well.
About ten years (pass) _______(10) before Abby (become) _______(11)
interested in music or the piano again. After she (graduate) _______ (12) from
high school, Abby (decide) _______(13) that she (want) _______(14) to study
music in college. She (call) _______(15) the lady who (teach) _______(16) her
when she (be) _______(17) a little girl. The lady (say) _______(18) she would
teach Abby again.
The lady (need) _______(19) someone to help her daughter with homework.
Abby (say) _______(20) she would help with homework in exchange for
lessons. Because of this, the piano lessons (cost) _______(21) her nothing!
She (work) _______(22) very hard to catch up. Now she is making good
progress. Soon she will go to college, majoring in music.

C. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
past progressive tense:
Tim is a firefighter. One Sunday, he (spend) _______ _______ (1) some time at
home with his family. He (play) _______ _______ (2) a game with two of his
daughters.
Tim noticed that his cell phone (ring) _______ _______ (3), and that the fire
alarm downtown (blare) ______ ______(4), too. He (not, feel) ______ _______ ______
(5) anxious to go put out a fire, but he went anyway.
While Tim (race) _______ _______ (6) to the fire in his red pick-up truck, he
heard on his police radio that a trailer (burn) _______ _______(7), and that a
small boy (sleep) _______ _______ (8) in one of its bedrooms. His mother could
not get him out.
At the scene, policemen and firefighters (run) ______ _______ (9) and yelling.
Most of the trailer (already, burn) _______ _______ _______ (10) by that time. Tim
said he would go in through a bedroom window to get the boy. He (not,

49
think) _______ _______ _______ (11) about his own safety at all. He wore a mask
to protect against the smoke.
When Tim reached the boy, it appeared that the boy (still, breathe) _______
_______ _______ (12). Tim put his own mask on the boy and handed him out the
window to the other firefighters. By the time Tim got out of the window, he
(not, breathe) _______ _______ _______ (13) well on his own, and had to go to the
hospital.
Tim got an award for bravery from the City Council at its next meeting. The
members knew he (put) _______ _______ (14) his life at risk when he went into
that trailer.

D. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
simple past tense or past progressive tense.
Example: Jing (talk) was talking (past progressive tense) to her little sister
when her cell phone (lose) lost (simple past tense) its signal.
We (walk) _______ _______ by the bakery when the smell of fresh cinnamon
rolls (reach) ____________ our noses.
Dr. Lee (treat) _______ ________ her patient when she (get) ________ a signal from
her pager.
Annie and Lilly (climb) _______ _______ trees when Annie (fall) ____________ and
(break) ________ her arm.
While Christopher (dig) _______ _______ a hole in the sand, a crab (crawl)
____________ out.
They (sit) _______ _______ on the park bench when the fountain suddenly (light)
____________ up.
David (ride) _______ _______ his motorcycle on the dirt road when it (hit)
________ a dangerous bump.
Mr. Walker (earn) _______ _______ more than anyone else in his division when
he (retire)__________ last year.
The lost dog (wear) _______ _______ his collar when the children (find)
____________ him.
Marcella (hope) _______ _______ to buy a yacht; instead she (buy) __________a
small fishing boat.

50
Nick (water) _______ _______ the plants in the garden when a groundhog
(appear) ____________.

E. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
simple past perfect tense or past perfect progressive tense.
Jill knew that her friend Sasha (feel) _______ _______ _______ (1) sad lately.
Sasha's mother (die) _______ _______ (2) two months before, and the two
friends (not, have) _____ _______ _______ (3) a chance to talk since it happened.
Sasha arrived at Jill's house at three o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Jill (call)
_______ _______ (4) her friend on Friday to invite her to over for coffee and
cookies.
Glancing at the mess in the kitchen, Sasha guessed that Jill (bake) _______
_______ _______ (5) cookies all day.
The women talked for a couple of hours. They (always, enjoy) _______ _______
_______ (6) each other's company in the past, and were happy to be together
again. Sasha recalled some of the things that she (find) _______ _______ (7) as
she (sort) _______ _______ (8) through her mother's belongings.
"It seems that, for some time before Mom died, she (make) _______ _______
_______ (9) three scrapbooks," said Sasha. "The last one (never, be) _______
_______ _______ (10) completed."
"What did they contain?" asked Jill.
"One contained all of the awards I (win) _______ _______ (11) before I reached
sixth grade," answered Sasha, "along with pictures of my friends and me. I
knew that mom (always, take) _______ ______ _______ (12) lots of pictures, but I
didn't know how many. The second was a collection of memorabilia from my
high school years."
"And the third?" prompted Jill.
Sasha paused and smiled before answering, "Mom and I (often, go) _______
_______ _______ (13) on walks together to gather wildflowers before I became
a teenager," Sasha replied. "Before she died, she (make) _______ _______ _______
(14) a scrapbook to hold all of the flowers we (collect) ______ _______ (15)."

51
F. In this exercise, all three ways of forming the simple future tense are
used. Watch for negatives and adverbs, too:
Thomas (graduate) _________(1) from college next month. He is trying to study
for final exams, but he is thinking a lot about his vacation plans.
He (travel) _____ _______ _______ _________(2) to England for a month this
summer. His plane (leave) ________(3) on June 14th, and (fly) _______(4) from
Boston to Gatwick International Airport in London.
Thomas decides that he (quickly, call) _____ ________ _______(5) his mother,
Joan.
Thomas: Hi, Mom.
Joan: Thomas! Hi! I thought you would be busy with finals.
Thomas: Well, I am, but I want to talk to you a little about England.
Joan: Sure, okay.
Thomas: Before I go sightseeing in London, I (visit) _______ _______ _____
_______(6) the town of Edenbridge, where my cousins live.
Joan: Great! That (be) _______ _____(7) fun. It (not, be) ______ _____ _____(8) hard
to get to Edenbridge. It is southeast of London. From the airport, you (ride)
_______ _______(9) a British Rail train to Victoria Station. Another train (take)
_______ ________(10) you to Edenbridge.
Thomas: That sounds easy. I looked at the town’s website. Edenbridge is
called “The Garden of Kent.” I (stay) _____ _______ _____ _______(11) in an old
manor house which has been made into an inn. The gardens there are
beautiful, and there is a pool.
Joan: Perfect. I bet that you (swim) _____ _______(12) in that pool! Have you
contacted your cousin, Will?
Thomas: Yes, we plan to meet early on Saturday. Then, we (tour) _____ ______
_____ ______(13) Hever Castle, the Great Stone Bridge, and the ancient Parish
Church.
Joan: What fun. This is a trip that you (never, forget) ______ ________ _______(14)
! Now, You had better go study so you (not, fail) ______ ______ ______(15) your
exams.

52
G. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in future
progressive tense:
Jeremy and Tyler (graduate) _______ ________ _____ _____ ________(1) from high
school next week. They see each other in a sporting goods store.
Tyler: Hey, Jeremy! How’s it going?
Jeremy: Hi, Ty! Good, how about you?
Tyler: Pretty good. I’m looking for a new swimsuit. I’m (work) ________ _____
_____ ________(2) as a lifeguard at the city pool this summer.
Jeremy: That’s cool. I don’t have a job yet. My mom told me that this store
(hire) _____ ________ _____ _____ ________ (3) a cashier soon. I guess I will apply
here.
Tyler: Yeah, you should. Maybe you will get a discount. Plus, I bet that a lot
of girls (shop) _______ _____ ________(4) here this summer.
Jeremy: True. I hadn’t thought of that. What hours _______(5) you (work)
________ _____ _____ ________(6) at the pool?
Tyler: Afternoons, from 1:00 to 5:00.
Jeremy: Perfect. I bet I know what you (do) _______ _____ ________(7) all
morning. Sleeping, right?
Tyler: Maybe not all morning. I have some books to read before college
starts in the fall. I think I (read) _______ _____ ________(8) for a couple of hours
every day before I go to work. Then, I will have some time for fun after work.
Jeremy: Good idea. What _______(9) you (major) _______ _____ _____ ________(10)
in at college?
Tyler: I’m not quite sure. I think I (major) _______ _____ ________(11) in
chemistry or biology. What about you?
Jeremy: I’m (study) ________ _____ _____ _________(12) exercise science.
Eventually, I think I (train)_______ _____ ________(13) to become a physical
therapist.
Tyler: Wow. We’d better enjoy the summer! In the fall, we _______ (14) do)
_______ _____ _____ ________(15) a lot of hard work. Well, I hope you get the job.
Jeremy: Thanks, me too. See you later.

53
H. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in
future perfect tense.
Each summer for the past ten years, Sharon and David have taken their
children, Eli, 17, and Lydia, 15, on trips around the United States in their
motor home. This summer will be special. When Eli and Lydia return to
school in the fall, the family (visit) _______ _______ ________(1) all fifty states.
Also, for the first time they (travel) _______ _______ ________(2) to one of the fifty
states by plane instead of in the motor home. They are going to Hawaii!
The family lives in Denver, Colorado. By next year, they (live) _______ _______
________(3) there for 14 years.
On July 12, they will fly from Denver to Los Angeles to catch their connecting
flight to Hawaii. When they arrive in Los Angeles, they (spend) _______ _______
_______(4) two hours and twenty-three minutes in the air. After a layover,
they will fly to Honolulu. That leg of the trip will be longer. When it ends, it
(take) _______ _______ _______(5) five hours and forty-five minutes.
Yesterday, Eli asked, “Mom, How many miles _______(6) we (cover) _______
_______(7) by the time we land in Hawaii?
Sharon answered, “About 3,401 miles.”
“Wow!” said Eli. “That will be about 7,000 miles round trip. We (go)_______
_______ _________(8) further than we did for the past four summers put
together.”
“That’s true,” Sharon replied. “Also, we (stay) _______ _______ ________(9) in a
hotel for the first time instead of camping in the motor home. The hotel is a
high rise. It’s right on Waikiki Beach. You and your sister will love it.”
“No doubt,” said Eli. “And when it’s over, we (surf) _______ _______ ________(10)
for the first time, too. That will be the coolest thing to tell my friends.”
We’re also going to visit Sea Life Park in Waimanalo, near Honolulu.”
“Are you sure that place isn’t for little kids?” Eli wondered.
“Are you kidding?” his mother answered. “I’m the one who wants to go there!
If we don’t go, I (miss) ______ _______ ________(11) my chance to watch the sea
lions.”

I. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in future perfect
progressive tense.

54
Andrew rides his bicycle to work every day, even if it is raining. He has loved
bikes ever since he was given his first one on his fifth birthday. When he
turns fifty years old this year, he (ride) _______ _______ ______ ________(1) a
bicycle for 45 years.
Sometimes people ask Andrew to explain why he likes biking so much that
he rides his bike to work. “I’m not sure,” he says. “In a car, I don’t get to feel
the wind or the sun on my face. It’s like I’m inside instead of outside. If I drive
a car, I (sit) _______ _______ _______ ________(2) in a little room on wheels when I
get to work, and then I will spend my workday inside a room, too.”
Because he enjoys biking so much, Andrew started a cycling club 23 years
ago. The club named itself “Proud Peddlers.” In a couple of years, he (bike)
_______ _______ _______ ________(3) with the club for 25 years.
The first bikers who joined the club were from the company where Andrew
works. Andrew had been hired the previous year. This next year, He (work)
_______ _______ _______ ________(4) for the company for 24 years.
Proud Peddlers has lobbied to get their city to build more bicycle paths. The
members have spoken often at city council meetings, asking that the council
members use some money for path-building projects. They have been
successful. The city (build) _______ _______ _______ ________(5) bike paths for 15
years when it opens a new path that borders a lake later this month. In all,
47 miles of bike paths have been constructed in the city since Proud Peddlers
began.
Andrew believes that he is healthier because of biking, and that many other
people in his city are, too. He says, “When we get older, we will be in better
shape because we (exercise) _______ _______ _______ _________(6) on our bikes for
years. Also, biking families (spend) _______ _______ _______ _________(7) more
time outside together while the kids were growing up, so they will be closer.
I think that is great.”

55